Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all rights to it belong strictly to J.K Rowling.
I am simply having fun with my imagination.
"...Please, sir," he said to him, smiling kindly. "I live in a muggle orphanage and I really don't like being shut away from the magic world for two months each year. Could you please help me out?"
The wizard thought for a long time.
"Well, all I can do is let you shelve books for me for a few galleons a day,"
"I'll do it," said Tom...
CHAPTER 11: FOURTH YEAR
"Tom, will you please fetch the Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland series for me?" said Mr. Q.
Tom put down the book that he had been examining (The Jinxer and the Jinxed) and went over to the corner shelf to fetch the 8 heavy books.
"Ah, thank you Tom," said Mr. Q as Tom stacked them on the counter.
Tom bowed to him and then returned to the book he had been reading.
It was August 17. Diagon Alley was fairly empty nowadays, though next week everyone would start to arrive to do their shopping. Tom was not keen on seeing anybody he knew, but since Mr. Q had given him this job and freed him from a dreadful summer at the orphanage, he did not want to lose it and so he did not complain.
Tom had earned quite a load of money over the summer, working at Flourish and Blotts. He did not open a vault at Gringotts Bank however. He did not trust them over there and so he always kept the money on hand. Even after buying all of his school things, Tom still had a fair bit of money left.
And so, as the boiling hot summer of 1941 drew to an end, Tom wasted no time in going to Borgin and Burke's down at Knockturn Alley. He thrust the sack of galleons in Borgin's face and then picked out the items that he had pinpointed in previous years. They included the cursed opal necklace, the poisonous candles, leering masks, and a new dark arts book titled Magick Moste Evile by Godelot.
Back at the orphanage, Mrs. Cole and the other children were on their best behaviour. They never bothered Tom which pleased him very much. Mrs. Cole had other things on her mind. There was a war going on in the Muggle World and so she spent most of her time monitoring it on the radios and muttering incoherently to herself. The children continued to live their worthless, unimportant lives as though they were not occasionally interrupted by bombings in Great Britain. Tom knew this did not affect the Wizarding World at all, and could not wait to return.
He boarded the Hogwarts Express on the first of September in great spirits and was soon joined in his compartment by Avery, Lestrange, and Rosier. They proceeded to tell stories about their summers while Tom read Magick Moste Evile. He wanted to show them the objects that he'd bought from Borgin, but decided that they were not yet ready. No matter, he would train them soon enough.
As the train drove through the countryside, Tom stumbled upon a passage in his reading which fascinated him very much:
The Unforgivable Curses are three of the most powerful and sinister spells known to the wizarding world, and are tools of the Dark Arts. They were first classified as Unforgivable in 1717. They are the Imperius Curse (Imperio) which allows the castor to influence another without their knowledge, the Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) which allows the castor to inflict immense pain on another, and the killing curse (Avada Kedavra) which allows the castor to cause instant death to another. Collectively, these curses are classified as illegal by the Ministry of Magic and will land anyone in Azkaban Prison for life.
Tom folded the corner of the page as the train pulled to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. He got off with his friends and boarded the carriages that rode them up to the castle. They entered the Great Hall and sat quietly during the Sorting Ceremony which ordered the many first-years into their houses. They ate the grand feast under the candle-lit ceiling, and then retreated to their house dormitories upon dismissal.
Tom called a meeting that night, and so after everyone else had gone to sleep, he stood to face Avery, Lestrange, Rosier, and their two newest members, Samuel Selwynn, and Thorfinn Rowle.
"Death Eaters," announced Tom. "We need a name and that name will be Death Eaters."
The four nodded comprehensively.
"You are not to reveal this name to anyone," Tom warned them.
"But why do we need a name, sir?" said Lestrange.
"Don't ever speak to me unless I speak to you," Tom glared at him.
Lestrange gulped loudly but did not say anything.
"We need a name," Tom continued, "To unify us. Now, go to bed. I will announce our next meeting when I feel it is necessary."
But their next meeting was not until late October and it took place in the Trophy Room on the sixth floor at 3 o'clock in the morning. Tom revealed his plan to his Death Eaters and they nodded in understanding. It would serve as a sort of test…to see how far they were willing to go. It was then that Tom would finally decide if he trusted them or not.
During Herbology the next day, as they listened to Professor Beery go on about Gillyweed, Lestrange waited for Tom's signal. Once Tom gave him the nod, Lestrange casually leaned over to Emily Troops of Gryffindor and whispered,
"I'd fancy visiting Hogsmeade with you next time."
"You want to go out with me?" exclaimed Emily in excited whispers.
"Sure," said Lestrange, grinning. "You're very pretty."
Emily blushed and giggled.
"I'd love to," she answered.
"Good," said Tom through the corner of his mouth, once Lestrange had sat up in his chair.
"Shall I go now?" said Rowle.
"NO!" hissed Tom. "You will go when I command you to!"
So Rowle waited. He waited until the end of the lesson. He waited all through lunch. It was not until they'd reached Potions and Professor Slughorn began to explain poison antidotes (which Tom already knew everything about), that Tom signaled Rowle and Rowle approached Anna Wood of Hufflepuff.
"Say, I'd fancy visiting Hogsmeade with you next time."
Anna raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think Jonathan would fancy that very much."
"Jonathan?!" exclaimed Rowle. "JONATHAN BUCKLEY? FROM GRYFFINDOR?"
"That's the one," said Anna, proudly. "So you'd better go before he sees you."
"I'm sure I can persuade him to allow this," Rowle insisted.
"Allow what?" said Anna, smirking.
"Mutual interaction," said Rowle, grinning.
Anna blushed.
"Oh Rowle, you are so bad!"
"You have no idea," said Rowle.
"Oh alright, well I suppose I could bump into you at Hogsmeade."
"I suppose you could."
He returned to his seat and flipped through the pages of his potions book.
"Excellent," muttered Tom, still watching Professor Slughorn at the board.
Later that day, Tom left his friends to go to the library and continue his search for the Chamber of Secrets. On the way there, he bumped into little Professor Flitwick.
"Hello, professor," said Tom, brightly.
"Ah, Tom!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "How are you, my boy?"
"Fine, thank you," said Tom.
"Good, good," said Professor Flitwick, walking away.
Before he turned the corner, Tom distinctly heard him mutter "Such a good boy".
Tom had no luck at the library that day, and returned to the Slytherin Common room feeling rather disappointed and frustrated. How was he to finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work, if he could not even locate the bloody chamber? He did not want to have to resort to searching every inch of the castle. There must be another way.
Tom spent most of his time in classes watching the other students, seeing as how he was already ahead of them in all the studies and saw no use in paying attention to the lessons. He'd never noticed before just how many muggle-born students were in his own year, let alone in the entire school. It was most disappointing. Exactly who did they think they were? It disgusted him, seeing them there, pretending to be something they obviously weren't. He would need to do something about it. But how? Finding the Chamber of Secrets proved to be a most difficult job and he couldn't think of another way to go about it. He would have to think of something very fast. He could not stand the smell of the mudbloods any longer.
On Saturday morning, Tom met with Avery, Lestrange, Rosier, Rowle, and Selwynn in the Hog's Head, where they seated themselves in a booth and awaited the girls.
"You will do great," said Tom to the waiting boys.
"It better work," said Rosier, grimly.
Tom glared at him.
"You are a DEATH EATER," he spat. "MAKE IT WORK."
Rosier looked away.
Soon, the door to the bar opened with the clang of a bell and Anna and Emily joined the boys at the table.
"It's bloody cold out," said Anna, shivering slightly.
"Yes it is—oh, hi Tom," said Emily, blushing slightly. "I didn't know you would be here."
"Well, I'd fancy a hot drink before we went out," announced Anna.
"Anything for you," said Tom, snapping his fingers in the air for the barman.
Shortly after, the barman brought their drinks. Tom slipped some of the powder that he'd bought from Borgin into Anna's cup before handing it to her, as did Rosier with Emily's cup. They sipped the contents of the cups and listened as Lestrange told a rather steamy story about Goblins. When the bells in the distance began to ring noon, Tom started to watch Emily carefully. She had stopped smiling and was staring off into the distance. He leaned closer.
"Are you alright, Emily? You don't look well."
"What?" said Emily, jumping in her seat. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, sir."
Grinning, Tom motioned for her to follow him outside. The others followed them too. They took the back alleyway and met on the other side of the village. They stood in the snow, huddled together, with Tom at the centre.
"Emily," he said. "You are to go to the Three Broomsticks. Find Jonathan Buckley. Point your wand at him and say crucio."
Emily nodded in comprehension, her eyes unfocused.
"Anna," said Tom, narrowing his eyes at her. Her own eyes were very watery. Tom turned to Rosier.
"Did you put it in her cup?!" he demanded.
"I did, sir," said Rosier. "She drank it all."
"Fine then. Anna," said Tom. "Go to the Three Broomsticks, find Professor Flitwick, point your wand at him, and say stupify."
Anna nodded.
"Rowle," said Tom. "Go and keep an eye on the girls. Note the time that the effects start to wear off. I'll need to know for future reference."
Rowle nodded.
"Avery, Lestrange, go to the owlery and kill 5 owls. Bring their bodies back to me as evidence. The curse is Avada Kedavra. Repeat it."
"Avada Kedavra," they repeated.
"Good," said Tom.
"But…" began Avery, but catching Tom's eye, he quickly closed his mouth.
"And Rosier," said Tom, facing the boy whose hands were crossed and grin smeared. "You are to go to Honeydukes, find Professor Kettleburn who will no doubt be there, and perform Expelliarmus on him."
Rosier's grin vanished and his hands dropped to his sides.
"I don't want to do this, sir," he said, quietly. "I—I don't w-want to…"
"Yeah, you never said anything about attacking teachers," said Avery, his voice trembling slightly, "Sir."
"You will do this," declared Tom, "Death Eater."
Rosier hesitated for a moment, then nodded at the ground.
"Good," said Tom. "Go now. We will meet in the common room tonight to discuss the results."
And so the group went their separate ways.
Tom went ahead to Zonko's Joke shop and began to browse the shelves among the excited Hogwarts students that were there. The items in the shop were very dull and did not interest Tom one bit. But it was all part of his plan to be seen there, away from the crime scenes. And so, he bought the sugar quills and dungbombs anyway, as evidence that he had been there.
"I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED," barked Headmaster Dippet at dinner that night.
The whole of the Great Hall was silent as students stared down at their plates, looking frightened.
"I HAVE A LIST OF SUSPECTS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THIS," continued Dippet, "BUT I'D LIKE TO HEAR IT FROM THEM."
He pulled out a list and read the names aloud:
"Atticus Avery, Thornfinn Rowle, Samuel Selwynn, Evan Rosier, Rufus Lestrange."
The 5 boys got to their feet and followed Headmaster Dippet out of the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore then rose to his feet.
"Does anyone in here have any knowledge as to who might have bewitched Anna Wood and Emily Troops?"
The hall remained silent. Nobody moved or said a word.
"I should warn you," said Dumbledore, "That the culprit behind this will have to report to the Minister of Magic, as the curse that had been put on the two young ladies, was definitely illegal."
Tom looked up at Dumbledore. He was eyeing the Great Hall carefully.
"Very well then, off to bed now."
Everybody jumped from their seats and scrambled out of the Great Hall, gossiping about the events of the day. Tom went to the dungeons alone and sunk into an armchair in the corner of the Common Room, with A History Of Magic open in his lap. He listened to the other Slytherins exchange false information regarding the day's events at Hogsmeade. When they tired of talking about it (at around midnight), they all went up to bed, leaving Tom alone in the common room. At half past 12, the Death Eaters climbed through the portrait hole and joined Tom on the couches. Tom stood up to face them.
"Well?"
"Well, nothing!" exclaimed Avery, happily.
"We got away with it," confirmed Lestrange.
"Good," said Tom, a small smile spreading on his face. "You did well. All of you."
The Death Eaters beamed at him.
They had passed the test. Tom could now officially trust them. And they were a good group of boys too. Rosier had a violent thirst for brutality. Avery was forever a loyal follower. Lestrange was extremely logical and a fast thinker. Rowle had some great nerve, having landed a teacher in the hospital, and Selwynn was very open-minded and resourceful. Combined, they made an acceptable group of followers.
The following morning, the entire school found out that Professors Flitwick and Kettleburn were in the hospital wing and all Charms and Care of Magical Creatures classes were cancelled for the next week. Poor Anna Wood and Emily Troops were sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in London, along with Jonathan Buckley, who'd suffered a most horrifying fate. Tom worked hard to suppress a grin when Headmaster Dippet announced this at breakfast. It was a shame. Charms class was really starting to grow on Tom and now he would have to make-do without it for a week.
Tom knew that it wasn't safe to act again that year, for Professor Dumbledore watched him carefully everywhere he went. So, Tom called another meeting just after the Christmas Holidays and told his Death Eaters to lay low for a while and that they would resume their activities once everything calmed down.
The buzz of talk around the school was phenomenal. Everyone was in search of the "Secret Culprit", as they called it. No one knew who had been behind it. And Tom, being ever so clever, swore his Death Eaters to secrecy. They were too scared to dare saying a word to anyone. They knew perfectly well that Tom would not hesitate to use the Avada Kedavra on them. He'd been itching to try it out on someone, but did not want to go to Azkaban just yet.
"I know you did it," said a voice behind him as Tom walked along a corridor one spring morning.
The Bloody Baron was floating after him, cackling stupidly.
"Tommy was very naughty!"
"Shut up," Tom demanded. "Don't forget who you're talking to."
That shut the Bloody Baron right up as he froze right there and then. Tom walked away from him.
Anna and Emily returned to school that day and were surrounded by groups of students all day, all of them begging for information. But Anna and Emily kept quiet and did not say a word to anyone. They had become less cheerful than they had been before. Frightened, even. After a Transfiguration lesson, Tom followed Emily into the girls' bathroom on the third floor. She froze at the sight of him standing behind her and backed away into a corner.
"What are you doing here?!" she cried, frightfully.
"Checking," said Tom. "I wanted to remind you that you are not to reveal anything to anyone."
"I haven't!" cried Emily. "I won't!"
"And your little friend?"
"Anna won't either! I promise! WE promise. Please, just don't do that again. I really don't want to hurt anybody."
Tom scowled at her.
"You are pathetic," he said, coolly. "You don't appreciate the Dark Arts at all."
He turned to leave, but just then, something caught his eye. He turned around to look at one of the sinks. The tap had a sort of carving on it. Tom came closer to it and squinted his eyes, examining it. It was a snake. A very green snake.
Ignoring Emily's frightful cry, Tom left the bathroom. Though, his mind was now racing as he walked along the corridors. This was it! He had found it! And somehow, he knew exactly how to open it. He had to admit that it was very clever, hiding it in there. No one, not even he, would have thought to look there. And the snake itself was barely visible to the untrained eye.
Tom thought about trying it out this year, but seeing as how exams were scheduled for the very next week, he didn't see any sense it in. It would just have to wait until later. But next year, next year, he would surely do it.
Slytherin won the house cup again that year, and Tom achieved top marks in all of his exams again. Headmaster Dippet personally congratulated him on this and waved him off as he boarded the train back to London. Another summer in the muggle world. What fun. But it didn't really bother Tom this time. He was very excited to plan for all the glorious things that the Death Eaters would do the following year. Just thinking about how pure the blood in the castle would be brought him such tremendous joy.
Author's Note: Hey Readers, I hope you are enjoying the story. Because Tom's fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts were the most crucial ones, I've decided to separate them into several chapters each. The next chapter in the story is called "Prefect" and will be published in about a week. I feel that I need to take some time to plan it out carefully because so much happens and I want to get it right, so please be patient. Thanks!
Finally, we're getting to the good parts with lots of action!